Dr. Pink Folmar said his goodbyes to the Brundidge Rotary Club this week as he returns to Birmingham after five years as the “town” physician and Dr. Charles Linguiti said hello to the community that he will serve as its primary care physician.

Saying goodbye is never easy and Folmar said he found it especially hard since he has been the “Brundidge doctor” as well as a member of the community.

“When I came to Brundidge the first question I was always asked was ‘how long,’” Folmar said. “I always answered that I had a five-year contract and I planned to be here for at least that long.”

Folmar came to Brundidge from Birmingham where he was a partner in a primary care practice.

“My wife, Mim, had inherited land here and we would come down on weekends and I really enjoyed being in the country,” Folmar said. “After a while, we decided to move to the country and I was very fortunate to be asked to join the staff of Pike Internal Medicine with Dr. Mickey Dichiara.

“When I came to the Peanut Butter Festival in Brundidge, I was overwhelmed to see the way everyone came together and I thought, ‘what a wonderful community’ and I wanted to be a part of it. So, I was excited to be in Pike Internal Medicine’s Brundidge office.”

Folmar and his wife have kept their home in Birmingham and the decision to return home was driven by the desire to have more time to spend with family.

“We have grandchildren who live away and I will only be working about three days a week in a private and urgent care practice and will also be doing some research on new drugs,” he said. “Brundidge has been a very satisfying practice and a unique opportunity for me. I am confident that it will be in very good hands with Dr. Charles Linguiti.”

Linguiti was actually recruited by Folmar, who said he wanted to make sure that the people of Brundidge were not left with an empty building as had happened too often before.

Linguiti was a private medical contractor at Fort Rucker when Folmar told him of the need of a doctor in Brundidge.

“He told me that he would have to pray about it,” Folmar said. “About five weeks later, he called and said that he had the answer. ‘I’m coming.’”

Linguiti is a Pennsylvania native but, his wife, Becky, has relatives in Pike County, so he was “up and down to Troy” when he practiced medicine in Louisiana for 17 years.

“There came a time when we knew that it was time to leave,” Linguiti said. “Coming to Troy was a big leap of faith for us. I worked in Montgomery for a while but that door closed. But when one door closes, another one opens.”

There was an opening for a contract physician at Fort Rucker but Linguiti knew that it usually takes a long time for a hire of that type. But fortunately, he was offered the job right away.

“I did pray about the opportunity in Brundidge and I believe that I am where I am supposed to be,” he said. “I will strive to provide the same excellent care that Dr. Folmar has provided. I am blessed to be here and I hope that I can do what God wants me to do here.”

The city of Brundidge is hosting a reception Sunday for Pike Internal Medicine, Dr. Pink Folmar and his staff in appreciation for the outstanding medical care they have provided for the Brundidge community for the past five years. Linguiti has been invited to attend and be introduced to the community. The reception will be from 2 until 3:30 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 29 at Brundidge Station. The public is invited.